See The Ritz-Carlton's New Telkonet EcoTouch Thermostats and Guestroom Energy Management System

Matthew Fagan, Senior Sales Executive, SMARTCON Solutions

IDEAS

New UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) Systems with Lithium-Ion Batteries Last Longer and Reduce Waste

Hotels have battery-powered electrical apparatuses called uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that enable their critical or sensitive equipment (like elevators and computers) to run during electricity outages. When the electricity grid goes down, UPS provides power instantaneously. It runs for a short period until the hotel generators takes over.

UPS also protects equipment from fluctuations in voltage, like power surges and momentary voltage reductions.

Until recently, lead-acid batteries have been the only battery used with UPS. They typically last only about 5 years. Most hotels have a few of them.

Recently, several companies have begun to offer UPS with lithium-ion batteries. Eaton started installing them about a year ago. Schneider now sells them, too.

Though UPS with lithium-ion batteries cost about 20% more than UPS with lead-acid batteries, they last more than twice as long. Hence, their lifetime cost is much lower. They're also much lighter, more space-efficient and have lower maintenance costs.

Lithium-ion batteries are the greener choice, too. Because lead-acid batteries are larger and heavier, and have a short lifespan, they require much more energy-intensive mining and transportation. They must be hauled away and recycled twice as often, too.

As you can guess from reading this newsletter, food waste reduction is now a preoccupation of solid waste professionals. Rightly so--food waste is a big environmental problem. Businesses that reduce it have saved a bundle.

The RecyclingWorks Massachusetts website, linked above, is an excellent new resource. RecyclingWorks compiled an impressive list of best management practices after interviewing food service professionals at commercial kitchens, universities and hospitals. The website has great links, too.

The best hotel-specific guide to reducing food waste (Fighting Food Waste in Hotels: AHLA Introduces Website and Toolkit), can be found in the December 5 BGT newsletter.

The Hilton Richmond Downtown communicates its environmental and community programs with
a 4" x 9" card. One side is titled, "Did You Know What We Do for The Environment?," and the flip side is titled "Did You Know What We Do for the Community?"

It's a quick and effective way to show off the hotel as a good corporate citizen.

Between 2013 and 2017, IHG reduced its carbon footprint per occupied room by a very impressive 15%--and 27% for their managed hotels. They reduced their water use

per occupied room in water-stressed areas by 5%--and 15% for their managed hotels.

By 2020, they aim to reduce their carbon footprint per occupied room by an additional 6% - 7%; launch two water stewardship projects per year; and increase the number of preferred suppliers who meet IHG's green criteria.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The following meetings will be 2:30 to 4:00.

April 5

The Ritz-Carlton, Boston

May 31

Lenox Hotel*

October 11

The Langham, Boston

* This meeting takes the place of the two March meetings that were postponed because of snow.

**We'll have one more meeting in the fall. I haven't scheduled the date yet.